A Blueprint for Hispanic Outreach

 William (Billy) Farias is not what one would call "diplomatic." He speaks his mind without reservation. This is contrary to the indirect mode of communication that most Latin Americans use, so when the Clearwater, Florida police department chose him as the liaison officer to head their new Hispanic outreach initiative in 2000, he faced a challenge.

Officer Farias describes Clearwater's problem at the time as "sweeping the dirt under the rug until the pile grew too high to deal with" as the Hispanic immigrant presence grew ever larger and the city's agencies had no process to manage it. [1] However, this bilingual American with Cuban and Puerto Rican roots has a special talent.

He is "simpático," or sociable. Getbound This is important because Hispanics are a people-focused culture. Farias will reach out to anyone to talk about anything, and his word is his personal pledge. Also a cross-cultural trainer, Farias loves to share his experiences working with the Clearwater police department.

Farias' personal story dissects Clearwater's 'from-the-ground-up' approach to serving a changing community. Farias was among a handful of bilingual officers in Pinellas county, Florida when a rash of Mexican immigrants moved into the city. As in many other U.S. cities and counties, the growth of immigrant communities can start with a single immigrant.

Farias recounts the case of one highlands Mexican man who dreamed of a beach vacation in Florida. After saving enough money for a trip to Clearwater Beach, the man decided to stay. As Farias describes the situation, "the wages earned in Mexico could be as low as $4.50 per day whereas in Clearwater they could earn up to $10.00 per hour in the service industry. This could include medical benefits as well as vacation time and sick leave.

He continues, "at the beach they can work indoors and only 8 hours per day. They get uniforms and can work as much overtime as is available sending millions of dollars back home each year." [1] Eventually, the man from Hidalgo moved more of his family to the U.S. and news of attractive work opportunities in Clearwater spread back home in Hidalgo, Mexico. In no time, there was a vibrant hidalguense community in a resort city with no plan to deal with Spanish-speaking residents.

Through networking, officers were able to identify a wealthy Mexican-American businessman in Clearwater who happened to also have roots in Hidalgo. Convincing this individual to get involved was a coup for the city. The businessman's connections with Hidalgo government officials encouraged Hidalgo politicos and the Mexican embassy to sponsor international initiatives, starting with extending Farias an invitation to visit Mexico.

Farias told his police chief, "I have to go to Hidalgo!" [1] He realized the importance of empathizing with the reality that the immigrants lived. He stayed with a rural family in a leaf-roofed hut among cactus, sheep, cattle and donkeys; ate food cooked over miner's coal in a hole in the ground; and slept on wooden slats. He met all manner of people from the governor down and returned to Clearwater with official commitments.

Growth in outreach became exponential. The Clearwater YWCA provided office space for a Mexican consulate office. Funding from Mexico supported Hidalgo-Clearwater cross-border initiatives and a soccer league. Numerous outreach officers in civilian clothes reached out to forge relationships of support with immigrants where they congregated: at soccer matches, local churches and migrant camps.

Farias became so adept at training fellow officers in Hispanic cultural sensitivity that he was invited to provide training out of state, including Mexican border states. Farias, Sergio Fidelis, [2] and other officers had monthly meetings with Mexican community leaders at the outreach center. Officer Fidelis also gave crime prevention workshops for local immigrants.

The crown gem was Clearwater's "Apoyo Hispano" program at the local YWCA Hispanic Outreach Center. It established such services as bilingual daycare, English as a Second Language classes, interpreter training services, victim advocacy, youth programs, and a multi-purpose training center. [3]

In 2008, Clearwater's Apoyo Hispano outreach program pivoted into an independent non-profit agency under CEO Sandra Lyth. The new InterCultural Advocacy Institute sits next to the police department and operates with funding from the JWB (Juvenile Welfare Board). Its focus is to provide interpretation services and victim advocacy, including free legal services to help immigrants navigate a path to citizenship.

They said it wouldn't work," said Ms. Lyth. [4] Many did not believe immigrants would brave entering a center so close to a police department, but to date 26,000 people have been served. Lyth credits the "front line" involvement of the Deputy Police Chief as the secret to their success. Too often innovative law enforcement projects are delegated to lower-tier staff without the authority to move things forward. [4]

Clearwater was able to manage their immigration situation due to intelligence from their boots on the ground: [5] bilingual officers caring enough to ask each immigrant they approached about their individual stories. Just as important, the Clearwater case proves law enforcement can be a catalyst to success, but it doesn't have to be solely responsible for funding.

Grants may have provided the seed money for the outreach initiative, but then the Mexican government contributed resources and eventually, the Hispanic Outreach Center branched off from the YWCA to become an independent non-profit organization. The coalition between immigrant community, law enforcement, and foreign local government is what makes Clearwater department's efforts so unique, and a creative idea for implementation by other law enforcement agencies.